A Spy Among Friends

Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal

By: Ben Macintyre

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War’s most infamous spy, from the “master storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) and author of Prisoners of the Castle.

Now an MGM+ series starring Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, and Anna Maxwell Martin

“[A Spy Among Friends] reads like a story by Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, or John le Carré, leavened with a dollop of P. G. Wodehouse.”—Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review

Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.

Every word uttered in confidence to Philby made its way to Moscow, sinking almost every important Anglo-American spy operation for twenty years and costing hundreds of lives. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed? In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.

Based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files and told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, A Spy Among Friends is a fascinating portrait of a Cold War spy and the countrymen who remained willfully blind to his treachery.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness

©2014 Ben Macintyre (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Macintyre has produced more than just a spy story. He has written a narrative about that most complex of topics, friendship. . . . When devouring this thriller, I had to keep reminding myself it was not a novel. . . . [Macintyre] takes a fresh look at the grandest espionage drama of our era.”—Walter Isaacson, The New York Times Book Review

“A Spy Among Friends is the latest in Ben Macintyre’s series on twentieth-century espionage. All are superb, and A Spy Among Friends is no exception. Macintyre gives the familiar story of Philby new life.”—Malcolm Gladwell,The New Yorker

“Macintyre does here what he does best—tell a heck of a good story. A Spy Among Friends is hands down the most entertaining book I’ve reviewed this year.”—Boston Globe

Finally a great read about Philby and his Friends.

Reads like a novel, John Lee does an excellent job narrating as usual. Highly recommend for anyone interested in this era of history.

The incredible life of a spy

After having read the book I still don't have insight into Philby's motivations except Macintyre's belief that he was addicted to lying and secrets as much as because of his ideological views. His personal life was also full of faithlessness and he treated his wife Ailene horribly. It's hard to understand why his children believed him to be a good father when he was so cruel to their mother and so often absent from their lives. I love Macintyre's books on similar subjects and he really brings the characters to life.

Lots about relationships, little about espionage

I wish there had been more stories about the kind of information that was passed on to the Russians and how that impacted our government and society. Still it was a good book but lacking in that area.

Fantastic

A perfect blend of true history and intriguing storytelling. It was very suspenseful even knowing the outcome. Fantastic narration.

Fascinating story!

I couldn't wait to get back in my car and continue listening. Great presentation as well.

Entrancing!

Fantastic performance by John Lee and one of the most interesting books you will ever read! You won’t regret it!

Very enjoyable book.

I would have enjoyed more rather than less so that a good book to me. The reader did it an excellent job.

Fantastic exposition

of the glaring blind spot that is the upper-class Brit's faith in fellow Old Boys. A lot of British history was much less opaque to me after the first time I listened to this book. Also, Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and even the Narnia and Harry Potter books, were less mysterious and a lot of the assumptions and therefore plot points and humor were explained.

Completely Unrelated: Be on the alert for John Lee's excellent Ronald Reagan impersonation. It's spot-on!

Great narrator, and even better sorry

Very good story. And the narrator did an excellent job reading it. Very much recommended.

Reads like a spy novel

Would you listen to A Spy Among Friends again? Why?

Probably not--I do not listen to books again (because I have so many new ones to read!)

What did you like best about this story?

It was a thrilling book. I wanted to listen to the entire book in one sitting because I wanted to know what happened (even though I knew the story). It really was written like a spy novel.

Which scene was your favorite?

It was not so much a scene as a theme that was compelling. The idea that Philby was "one of them" in background and status and therefore was treated with kid gloves which allowed him to continue to commit treason even after he was brought back into MI6 because he was "cleared". And that even when they knew he was guilty, because of who he was, he somehow deserved a lighter punishment than others who were not as bad as he was.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The epilogue by the author John LeCarre, who had been in MI5 for a period--he met with Elliot (Philby's close friend and MI6 colleague) when they were both older. Elliot's continuing nonchalance about what he allowed to happen, and his recollection of how much he enjoyed being with Philby (Elliot's loose lips when they were drinking allowed Philby to know many secrets) was amazing. It was frustrating to see how the good old boy's club allowed so many to lose their lives.